The clinical significance of identification of urinary stones in patients living in an industrial region by the Mid-FTIR Spectroscopy method

Abstract

Introduction. Physico-chemical, biological and biochemical processes that occur during the formation of urinary stones determine the peculiarities of their composition and structure, as evidenced by modern methods of analysis: spectral, X-ray, polarization, optical, immersion, infrared spectrometry, etc. Modern Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is a powerful instrument for identifying organic and inorganic substances by measuring the infrared (IR) absorption spectrum. It provides qualitative information about the molecular composition of the target material. The aim of the study. To determine the possibilities and improve the results of identification of urinary stones of patients, residents of the industrial region by the method of Mid-FTIR Spectroscopy. Materials and methods. To carry out the work, a comparative analysis of the chemical composition, morphology and structural features of 85 urinary stones of patients, residents of the Dnipropetrovsk region, was carried out. The analysis of the mineral composition of all urinary stones was carried out by a hardware and software complex that combined a Nicolet iS10 FTIR spectrometer and μ-FTIR Continuum microscope from the American company Thermo Scientific, ATR-Smart Golden Gate prefix with a diamond crystal from the English company Specac, OMNIC FTIR Software and Spectral Library NICODOM IR Kidney Stones, which contains 1668 transmission spectra. Research results and their discussion. Most of the stones in 48% of patients were oxalates, 43% of the stones belonged to the oxalatecontaining mixed type. Conditionally pure urate and phosphate stones were 4% and 5%, respectively. The registered spectra generally showed a satisfactory agreement with the library analogues. The capabilities of the hardware and software complex make it possible to map and visualize the spatial distribution of organic substances and minerals in rock samples. The μ-FTIR method makes it possible to reasonably understand the cause of the microstructural heterogeneity of stones and the triggering mechanism of the layer-by-layer deposition of constituent substances during the growth of the stone mass. Conclusion. The analysis of the results of the identification of urinary stones of patients, residents of the industrial region by the Mid- FTIR Spectroscopy method showed advantages among similar methods of studying urinary stones and proved the feasibility of its use in the complex examination of patients with urolithiasis. Accurate analysis of the primary and secondary chemical composition and spatial distribution of stone components will lead to an understanding of the physicochemical processes that form the basis of the pathogenesis of stone formation. Spectral monitoring of the chemical composition of urine is important for early diagnosis, effective personalized treatment and prevention of stone recurrence in patients with urolithiasis.